Elizabeth Taxes Going Up Again

ELIZABETH – The City Council is scheduled to vote on a $209 million budget proposal on Nov. 9 — nearly four months after the fiscal year began and a week after Election Day.

The budget plan introduced last month calls for a tax increase of about 5.2 percent. That could mean a tax hike of hundreds of dollars for most property owners.

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Carlos Cedeño was the only council member to vote against the budget when it was introduced.

City officials blamed the loss of $5 million in state aid for the increase in taxes.

A homeowner with property assessed at the city median $33,000 would pay $4,277 in municipal taxes, up approximately $262 from last year. When school and county taxes are factored in the total tax bill could exceed $7,000.

Fifth Ward Councilman Bill Gallman defended the city’s spending.

“We raise taxes because people have to get paid,” said Gallman.

Gallman acknowledged that he supported a tax increase every year since he was first elected eight years ago.

Union County had the ninth-highest property taxes in the nation, with homeowners paying a median $7,793 in 2009, according to data compiled by the Tax Foundation.